The rules are laid out at the end of this post if you fancy having a go.

Here is my contribution for this week:

Last weekend I took my three teenagers to Hogwarts! Okay, so it wasn’t the actual school of witches and wizardry, but it was pretty damn close. We caught the train down to Watford and took part in the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour. I’m still buzzing now as I think about it; the entire day was incredible. In honour of our family fun day I chose to search for ‘magic’ this week. I found this:

The Last Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities book 1) by C.J. Archer

BLURB:

Victorian London: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man.

Charlie hasn’t raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself. People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her.

Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly “made” creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world – Charlotte – but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the wilful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he’s been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn’t trust? Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting.

My Analysis:

I love the cover, it’s beautifully gothic and drew me in immediately. The Last Necromancer is the first in a series so if I like this novel I know there are a couple of others I can read straight away. Having recently read Carol Hedges, Death & Dominion, I am still in Victorian London mode, so the era of this book appeals to me.

The Stats:

There are 270 pages, and the Kindle price is £2.99. There are 10 reviews on Amazon.co.uk, all of these are four and five stars, and 67 reviews on Amazon.com, 61% are five stars.

Here is an example of a five-star review from Amazon.co.uk:

I’ve read all of C J Archers books, and this book doesn’t fail on my high expectations of it. Another fantastic gripping story that I found hard to put down. These stories are so easy to read and with a 17-month-old running about I need a bit of escapism, but that’s not too heavy going. You get attached to the characters and I love how you can continue to follow their stories as you follow the series. I also like how characters from other series can show up and be entwined in the current books she writes. All in all I highly recommend reading this book along with all her other stories.

BUY or PASS?

The Last Necromancer is my kind of book and I love that it’s an established series. There are plenty of positive reviews about this book and the other titles in C.J. Archer’s vault. It’s a BUY from me.

In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions on small postage stamp size book covers (thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they spend making that buying decision?

AUTHORS – You often only have seconds to get a reader to buy your book, is your book cover and book bio up to it?

The Challenge is this… IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES…

1) Go to any online book supplier,

2) Randomly choose a category,

3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to your eye,

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Published by shelleywilson72

I'm Shelley, an English author of motivational self-help titles and young adult fantasy fiction. My sensible side writes non-fiction books to inspire you to survive and thrive, and my playful side writes young adult fiction to remind you to nurture that inner teen.
I'm a writing mentor helping professional women to write their book so they can position themselves as an expert in their industry. I also provide blogging support and accountability coaching.
You'll find me sharing book reviews, author interviews, and chatting about writing on my author blog and talking about personal development on my motivational blog.
I'm a single mum of three. I love vampires, history and self-help, solo trips to the cinema, and travelling.
View all posts by shelleywilson72

I loved the Harry Potter Studio Tour too, embarrassed my kids completely. We went a couple of years ago before the Hogwarts Express was there, so I’d love to go again. Anyway back to the book, the emerald green cover is spooky which fits with the story and the girl with the skull lamb is great, love the book description a BUY from me too.

We took our daughter to the Harry Potter tour when she was going through a Harry Potter phase. I’m not a Harry Potter fan but I really enjoyed it – so interesting. Not really my kind of book so a pass from me but I do think it’s a great cover.

Love this cover and I’m interested enough to take a further look so I think a buy from me. Our house has been nuts on HP for years but we’ve never made the tour – I think I’d be slightly disappointed that I couldn’t actually fly on the broomstick.

The broomsticks were pretty cool, and with the addition of a wind machine I’m sure you’d get the feel ha ha. Yes, I loved the cover of this book too, the other book covers in the series as just as enticing. 🙂

About Me

I'm Shelley, an English author of motivational self-help titles and young adult fantasy fiction. My sensible side writes non-fiction books to inspire you to survive and thrive, and my playful side writes young adult fiction to remind you to nurture that inner teen.
I'm a writing mentor helping professional women to write their book so they can position themselves as an expert in their industry. I also provide blogging support and accountability coaching.
You'll find me sharing book reviews, author interviews, and chatting about writing on my author blog and talking about personal development on my motivational blog.
I'm a single mum of three. I love vampires, history and self-help, solo trips to the cinema, and travelling.